Not Applicable
Not Applicable
The present invention relates generally to plows for installing utility lines and more particularly to a plow to maintain vertically spaced relationship in the ground for such utility lines and allow for random extraction thereof.
In the past, utility lines which are run to homes and other buildings have been installed by each respective utility company, so these lines often have been laid in different paths and at different depths. In newer subdivisions, it is sometimes required that utility lines all be placed within a certain easement, which maybe quite narrow and make it impossible to have them be laid side by side; instead they must be separated by soil in the ground.
Consequently, a common practice was developed to dig a trench and then to lay down a first utility line and backfill it to a desired amount; then lay the second utility line in the trench, backfill to the desired amount, etc., for each utility line until all utility lines have been placed in the trench and backfilled.
There are typically several utility lines that need to be installed such as a natural gas line, an electric line, a cable television line and a telephone line. With modern communications, there may also be a fiber optic line which may be a combined line for cable television, internet and telephone.
Plows have been used to install utility lines, but it has heretofore not been practical to install all utility lines with one plow because it is time consuming and because it is difficult to remove certain desired ones of the utility lines at each junction box when not all of such lines are to be connected to such junction box. In order for such plowing operation to be practical, either all of the lines would need to come out at each utility box by pulling them out the back of a guide chute, selecting only the ones to be connected to the utility box and then placing them all back into the guide chute one by one in a last-out, first-in order.
It is, of course, impractical to plow one or more line in a narrow easement and then try to plow other utility lines in as well, because of the danger of breaking the previously laid utility lines.
There is, therefore, a need for a plow which will lay multiple utility lines in a single pass and yet provide adequate separation between the utility lines, while at the same time allowing random extraction of the utility lines at each junction box.
Those concerned with these and other problems recognize the need for an improved plow for installing utility lines.
The present invention relates generally to a plowing apparatus for installing multiple utility lines having a plow adapted to be attached to a prime mover for cutting an opening in the ground to a predetermined distance below the surface of the ground as the prime mover moves along the top of the ground. A utility line guide chute is disposed behind of the plow and is operatively attached to the plow. The guide chute includes a forward wall, bottom wall, a first and second side wall operatively attached to the front wall and at least a partially opened top for receiving utility lines to be installed into the ground as the plow moves forwardly. Divider members are disposed between the first and second guide walls for guiding the multiple utility lines in the top of the guide and out a lower rearward portion of the guide whereby utility lines can be laid into the ground at predetermined depths in vertically spaced relationships with respect to each other as the plow and guide chute move forward.
In a preferred embodiment the second wall is composed of separate parts, the shape of respective ones of said separate parts corresponding at least in part to the position of each of more than one respective utility line within the guide whereby the separate parts of the second wall can be selectively removed to facilitate removal of selected ones of the utility lines without removing other ones of the utility lines. This permits the user to remove only those utility lines desired to be attached to a particular junction box without removing each and every one of the utility lines, thereby providing a random extraction ability.
Also in the preferred embodiment, cutters are attached to the guide and disposed on each side of at least two of the utility lines whereby the ground will be compacted around the first such selected lines and a predetermined distance will be maintained between such respective lines due to the cutters"" ability to move soil and fill in such soil between such respective lines.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved plow for installing multiple utility lines in a single pass.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a guide for a plow of the aforementioned type which allows random extraction of utility lines whereby only the utility lines desired to be extracted can be removed without removing all of the utility lines in order to accomplish this desired result.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a plow of the aforementioned type which has the ability to maintain a predetermined separation between utility lines being installed by a plow, and doing this in an automatic fashion.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.